Avocado Fruit Growth

It takes two years to develop a California avocado fruit from bud break to harvest. If the bud breaks in March of year one, in March of year two the fruit will set, and in March — at the beginning of year 3 — the avocado will be ready for harvest.

Good avocado fruit set and growth requires enough leaves (the factory) and root growth (raw materials’ supply route) to supply fruit with the resources they need.To prepare fruit, the tree needs to accumulate raw materials — sugars, starch, water, minerals and chemicals — prior to the next growth stage. Because of this two-year bud-break-to-harvest cycle, the amount of avocado fruit harvested in the current year is a result of cumulative weather and avocado grove cultural management from the preceding two years.